Detecting motor vehicle damage

ABSTRACT

A method and system for detecting motor vehicle damage is described which includes a sensor to detect damage to a motor vehicle component from a plurality of motor vehicle components. A network interface is provided to transmit an indication of the detected damage, the indication including an identifier associated with the damaged motor vehicle component. Also provided is a data store to store the indication of the detected damage.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. Ser.No. 14/925,422 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,721,400), filed Oct. 28, 2015, whichapplication claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 62/072,834 filed Oct. 30, 2014 which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed embodiments relates to a system, method and process fordetecting motor vehicle damage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Motor vehicles are complex devices that include a variety of componentsto provide various functions and/or desired motor vehicleconfigurations. The components may be subject to damage, for instance,damage incurred as a result of a collision. It may be desirable torepair the components, such as damaged components, in an effort toprovide the various functions and/or the desired motor vehicleconfiguration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose and advantages of the below described illustratedembodiments will be set forth in and apparent from the description thatfollows. Additional advantages of the illustrated embodiments will berealized and attained by the devices, systems and methods particularlypointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well asfrom the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the illustrated embodiments, in one aspect, a method and system fordetecting motor vehicle damage is described which includes a sensor todetect damage to a motor vehicle component from a plurality of motorvehicle components. A network interface is provided to transmit anindication of the detected damage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various non-limiting, exemplary,inventive aspects in accordance with the present disclosure:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for detecting damagecomponents according to one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example of a methodto detect damage according to one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example ofinstructions to detect damage according to one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The illustrated embodiments are now described more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals identifysimilar structural/functional features. The illustrated embodiments arenot limited in any way to what is illustrated as the illustratedembodiments described below are merely exemplary, which can be embodiedin various forms, as appreciated by one skilled in the art. Therefore,it is to be understood that any structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims and as a representation for teaching one skilled inthe art to variously employ the discussed embodiments. Furthermore, theterms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but ratherto provide an understandable description of the illustrated embodiments.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lowerlimit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range is encompassed within the illustrated embodiments. Theupper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently beincluded in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within theillustrated embodiments, subject to any specifically excluded limit inthe stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of thelimits, ranges excluding either both of those included limits are alsoincluded in the illustrated embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods andmaterials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also beused in the practice or testing of the illustrated embodiments,exemplary methods and materials are now described. All publicationsmentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to disclose anddescribe the methods and/or materials in connection with which thepublications are cited.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “astimulus” includes a plurality of such stimuli and reference to “thesignal” includes reference to one or more signals and equivalentsthereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

The publications discussed herein are provided solely for theirdisclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothingherein is to be construed as an admission that the illustratedembodiments are not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue ofprior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided may differfrom the actual publication dates which may need to be independentlyconfirmed.

It is to be appreciated the illustrated embodiments discussed below arepreferably a software algorithm, program or code residing on computeruseable medium having control logic for enabling execution on a machinehaving a computer processor. The machine typically includes memorystorage configured to provide output from execution of the computeralgorithm or program.

As used herein, the term “software” is meant to be synonymous with anycode or program that can be in a processor of a host computer,regardless of whether the implementation is in hardware, firmware or asa software computer product available on a disc, a memory storagedevice, or for download from a remote machine. The embodiments describedherein include such software to implement the equations, relationshipsand algorithms described above. One skilled in the art will appreciatefurther features and advantages of the illustrated embodiments based onthe above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the illustratedembodiments are not to be limited by what has been particularly shownand described, except as indicated by the appended claims. Allpublications and references cited herein are expressly incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

Motor vehicles refer to motorized vehicles capable of self-propulsionincluding, for example, automobiles, motorcycles, boats, recreationalvehicles, etc. Motor vehicles include motor vehicle components. Motorvehicle components refer to constituent parts of a motor vehicle, suchas doors, fenders, engines, computer panels, etc., that provide afunction and/or a desired configuration (e.g., an aestheticallydesirable configuration) of the motor vehicle. The motor vehiclecomponents can be located on an interior and/or on an exterior of themotor vehicle. The motor vehicle component can be included in and/orcomprise a mechanical systems of the motor vehicle, for example, a drivetrain, and engine (e.g., a component of an engine), a blinker, aheadlight, a tire, among other mechanical systems that can perform amechanical function to enable the motor vehicle to operate/perform asintended. The motor vehicle components can be made of steel, metalalloys, electronics, composite materials (e.g., plastics, resins, etc.),among other materials and/or combinations of materials.

It can be desirable to alter the motor vehicle components of a motorvehicle to provide a given function and/or motor vehicle configuration.Altering can include replacement of a motor vehicle component and/oraddition of additional motor vehicle components to the motor vehicle,among other alterations. For example, it may be desirable to replace adamaged motor vehicle component. Damage can occur in a variety of wayssuch as exposure to environmental elements (e.g., light, heat, hail,etc.) and/or as a result of a force applied to the motor vehicle/motorvehicle component (e.g., resultant forces from an automobile accident),among other ways. Depending on an amount of damage sustained, a damagedmotor vehicle component may be a candidate for replacement. Forinstance, it may be desirable to replace a damaged motor vehiclecomponent in effort to continue to provide a function and/or a desiredmotor vehicle configuration.

Readily detecting such damage can be desirable. For example, efficient(e.g., timely) detection of damage can provide comparatively fasteralteration (e.g. replacement) of damaged motor vehicle components and/orexpedite transactions, such as financial transactions, associated withalteration of the damaged motor vehicle component.

Advantageously, the present disclosure provides methods, systems, andcomputer-readable and executable instructions for detecting damage.Detecting damage, in accordance with one or more embodiments, caninclude detecting an amount of damage to a motor vehicle component(e.g., a damaged motor vehicle component) of the motor vehicle. Forexample, damage can be detected by a sensor, such as those describedherein.

The embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those ofordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that process, electrical, and/or structural changes may bemade without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits. As used herein, “a” or “anumber of something can refer to one or more such things. For example,“a number of objects” can refer to one or more objects.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for detecting damage accordingto one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated inFIG. 1, the system 100 can be provided for detecting damage to motorvehicle components.

The system 100 can include a motor vehicle 102. Motor vehicles refer tomotorized vehicles capable of self-propulsion including, for example,automobiles, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, etc.

The motor vehicle can include a plurality of motor vehicle components103. Motor vehicle components 103 refer to constituent parts of a motorvehicle, such as doors, fenders, engines, computer panels, etc., thatprovide a function and/or a desired configuration (e.g., anaesthetically desirable configuration) of the motor vehicle. The motorvehicle components 103 can be located on an interior and/or on anexterior of the motor vehicle 102. The motor vehicle components 103 canbe made of steel, metal alloys, electronics, composite materials (e.g.,plastics, resins, etc.), among other materials and/or combinations ofmaterials.

The motor vehicle 102 can include a processor 104 and a memory 106.Memory 106 can be any type of storage medium that can be accessed by theprocessor 104 to perform various embodiments of the present disclosure(e.g., provide an indication of an amount of damage to a motor vehiclecomponent, etc.). For example, memory 106 can be a non-transitorymachine readable medium having machine readable instructions 110 (e.g.,generating machine program instructions, machine readable instructions,computer readable instructions, etc.) and data items 108 stored thereon.Memory 106 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. Memory 106 can also beremovable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable (e.g., internal)memory. For example, memory 106 can be random access memory (RAM) (e.g.,dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or phase change random accessmemory (PCRAM)), read-only memory (ROM) (e.g., electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM) and/or compact-disc read-onlymemory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, a laser disc, a digital versatile disc(DVD) or other optical disk storage, and/or a magnetic medium such asmagnetic cassettes, tapes, or disks, among other types of memory.

The memory 106 can include machine readable instructions 110 capable ofbeing executed by the processor 104 to carry out the functions asdescribed herein. In some embodiments, some or all of the functions arecarried out via hardware in lieu of a processor-based system. Further,although memory 106 is illustrated as being located in the motor vehicle102, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. Forexample, memory 106 can, in addition to the memory located in the motorvehicle 102 or alternatively, memory 106 can be located internallywithin another computing resource (e.g., enabling computer readableinstructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another wired orwireless connection).

The processor 104 executes instructions, such as machine readableinstructions 110, and can, in some generating machines, be utilized tocontrol the operation of an entire generating machine (such as thosedescribed herein) and/or control the plurality of sensors 114, amongothers machines and/or components (e.g., components included in themotor vehicle 102). The processor 104 can include a control unit thatorganizes data and program storage in memory and transfers data and/orother information between the various portions of the motor vehicle 102,a generating machine, as described herein, and/or other electronicdevices. Although the motor vehicle 102 is shown to contain a singleprocessor 104, the disclosed embodiment also applies to devices that mayhave multiple processors with some or all performing different functionsand/or in different ways. The machine readable instructions 110 can, forexample, include a number of programs such as the applications (e.g.,software objects and/or modules, among others). The data items 108, suchas information associated with a motor vehicle component and/or anelectronic model, can be used (e.g., analyzed by) the machine readableinstructions 110 during their execution.

The motor vehicle 102 can include a plurality of sensors 114. Sensorsrefer to devices that can detect sensory input. Sensors can include, forexample, accelerometers (e.g., an accelerometer detecting a suddendecrease in velocity of the motor vehicle 102), airbag deploymentsensors (e.g., sensors that detect deployment of an airbag), visualsensors, such as those described herein, material sensors (e.g.,nano-material detection sensors), and/or electromagnetic frequency (EMF)sensors, among other types of sensors. The present subject matter is notlimited to any particular type of sensor, as various sensors may be usedas a sensor of the plurality of sensors 114 and are considered withinthe scope of the present subject matter. In some embodiments, a sensorof the plurality of sensors 114 can detect an EMF change associated withthe motor vehicle component to detect damage (e.g., damage to the motorvehicle component). A change in EMF of a particular motor vehiclecomponent (e.g., compared to a baseline EMF of the particular motorvehicle component) can indicate that damage has occurred, for instance,damage to the motor vehicle component has altered its shape and/or EMFfrequency.

Additionally, while the plurality of sensors 114 are illustrated in FIG.1 as being located within the motor vehicle 102 the present disclosureis not so limited. That is, an object and/or an environment external tothe motor vehicle can include some or all of the plurality of sensors114. For example, an external environment, such a building housing inwhich the motor vehicle 102 can be positioned can include some or all ofthe plurality of sensors. Such an external environment may enable theplurality of sensors 114) to readily detect damage to the motor vehicle.For example, the plurality of sensors can detect visual changes to oneor more of the plurality of motor vehicle components 103 of the motorvehicle 102.

Such detection of visual changes can, in some embodiments, be performedby detection of a change in a distance between two or more focal points,for instance, focal points located on a motor vehicle. The change infocal points can occur between two or more focal points located on aparticular motor vehicle component and/or between two or more focalpoints located on two or more respective motor vehicle components of themotor vehicle 102. For example, a change in a distance between a frontbumper and a rear bumper of the motor vehicle can be detected and/or achange in a size/shape of a particular motor vehicle component of theplurality of motor vehicle components can be detected, among other waysto detect damage to the motor vehicle components 103.

In some embodiments, a sensor of the plurality of sensors 114 can detectan EMF change to a motor vehicle component to detect the damage. Forexample, a sensor can detect a baseline EMF frequency of a given motorvehicle component. Such a motor vehicle component can become damaged(e.g., damaged through impact therewith) and may thus have a differentEMF frequency detectable by the sensor as a result of damage (e.g., achange in shape and/or dimensions of the motor vehicle component).

In various embodiments, information associated with a plurality of motorvehicle components, among other information, can be stored in a datastore 130. Data store can include memory as described herein and/or adatabase, among other suitable types of storage. In some embodiments,the data store 130 can be located within a motor vehicle, such as motorvehicle 102. A data store located in a motor vehicle 102 can, forexample, include information associated with some (e.g., exteriorcomponents) or all of the motor vehicle components (e.g., all exteriorand interior motor components) of the motor vehicle 102.

The data store 130 can, in some embodiments, include informationassociated with all motor vehicle components that do not includeelectronics embedded therein. In some embodiments, the data store 130can include information associated with a component indicated as adamaged component. In some embodiments, the data store 130 can belocated within the motor vehicle 102 and/or can include respectiveinformation to generate each of a plurality of motor vehicle components(e.g., external components and/or internal components) included in amotor vehicle 102. For example, in some embodiments, the data store 130can be located within a motor vehicle, such as motor vehicle 102, thatcan include a motor vehicle component indicated as damaged, as describedherein.

While the data store 130 can be located within a motor vehicle 102, thepresent disclosure is not so limited. For example, the data store 130can be located at a shop (e.g., a repair shop capable of replacing adamaged motor vehicle component with a generated motor vehiclecomponent) and/or a location associated with an insurance provider(e.g., an insurance provider of the motor vehicle 102), among otherlocations. In some embodiments, the data store 130 can be located aseparate and distinct location from a motor vehicle 102 at a time ofgeneration of a motor vehicle component (e.g., a 3D copy of a motorvehicle component). Advantageously, this can enable generation of themotor vehicle component by a number of possible entities including thoselocated at a separate and distinct location from the motor vehicleand/or a shop scheduled to receive a motor vehicle component followinggeneration of the motor vehicle component, among other advantages. Forinstance, in some embodiments, the data store 130 can include anelectronic model of a motor vehicle component indicated as damaged.

Additional, advantages can be realized by utilization of a data storethat can include information to generate components for a plurality oftypes (e.g., makes) of motor vehicles. For example, a data store(s) at alocation associated with an insurance provider can include informationassociated with generating components for a plurality of types ofvehicles the insurance provider provides insurance to. That is, in someembodiments, the data store 130 can be located, external to the motorvehicle 102, for instance, at a location associated with an insuranceprovider providing insurance to the motor vehicle 102.

The system 100 can, in some embodiments, include a generating machine(not shown). A generating machine refers to a machine that includesgenerating elements (not shown), among other elements (e.g., memory,etc.). Generating elements can be any suitable device/combination ofdevices to generate motor vehicle components. For example, generatingelements can, in some embodiments, generate a motor vehicle componentusing additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing refers to additionof successive layers of material (e.g., layers having variousshapes/specifications) to achieve a desired end product, such as aparticular motor vehicle component. However, the present disclosure isnot so limited. That is, the generating machine can generate the motorvehicle component using various extrusion manufacturing techniques(e.g., melting, ejection, solidification, etc.), rapid prototyping,freeform fabrication, and/or subtractive manufacturing (e.g., drilling,plasma/laser cutting, etc.), among other techniques suitable to generatemotor vehicle components. In some embodiments, the generating machinecan be at separate and distinct location from the motor vehicle at atime of generation of a motor vehicle component.

In various embodiments, the generating machine can generate a motorvehicle component based on the information associated with the motorvehicle component. For example, the generating machine can generate athree dimensional (3D) copy of a motor vehicle component). As usedherein, a 3D copy of motor vehicle component refers to a 3D physicalduplicate of an original motor vehicle component (e.g., a damaged motorvehicle component installed on a motor vehicle prior to incurringdamage) having identical (e.g., substantially similar) specifications(e.g., height, width, length, radius, volume, etc.) as those of theoriginal motor vehicle component. For example, the specifications of theoriginal motor vehicle component can be identical to those of the copyof the motor vehicle component when accounting for manufacturingtolerances in the generation of the copy of the motor vehicle componentand/or production of the original motor vehicle component. The motorvehicle component (e.g., the 3D copy of the motor vehicle component) canbe generated using an electronic model (e.g., a respective electronicmodel associated with the motor vehicle component). The electronic modelcan be created based on information associated with the motor vehiclecomponent, as described herein.

The information associated with the motor vehicle component can includea manufacturer (e.g., OEM or non-OEM), an identifier of the motorvehicle component (e.g., a motor vehicle component number), an expectedlife (e.g., an average duration of useful life of a motor vehiclecomponent), a status (e.g., current status) of the motor vehiclecomponent, a type of material, specifications, an indicator of apresence of electronics embedded within the motor vehicle component,among other information that can be associated with the motor vehiclecomponent. For example, in some embodiments, a data store can includerespective information identifying a manufacturer of each of theplurality of motor vehicle components included in the motor vehicle. Insome embodiments, an identifier of the motor vehicle component cancorrespond to a particular electronic model, for example, an electronicmodel to generate a copy of the motor vehicle component corresponding tothe identifier, stored in a data store (e.g., data store 130).

In some examples, a manufacturer (e.g., OEM or non-OEM) of a motorvehicle component can be displayed. For example, a manufacturer of eachof a plurality of motor vehicle components included a particular motorvehicle (e.g., motor vehicle 102) can be displayed. The display caninclude a total number of OEM motor vehicle components (e.g., apercentage of OEM motor vehicle components) and/or a total number ofnon-OEM (e.g., a percentage of non-OEM motor vehicle components), amongother information. Such a display can occur at a display within theparticular motor vehicle and/or at a display external to the motorvehicle, such as those described herein. Displaying the manufacturer forthe motor vehicle component and/or each of the plurality of motorvehicle components can readily enable a user to identifying ainformation such as a total number of OEM components in a motor vehicleand/or promote generating motor vehicle components.

Information associated with the motor vehicle component, such asspecifications of the motor vehicle component, can be used to create a3D electronic model of the motor vehicle component. A 3D electronicmodel refers to a mathematical representation of a motor vehiclecomponent based on information associated with a motor vehiclecomponent. The mathematical representation can include a collection ofpoints in a 3D space that can be connected by various geometricconnectors. Such geometric connectors can include, for example,triangles, lines, and curved surfaces, among other geometric connectors.That is, 3D electronic models can include solid models and/or shellmodels, among other types of electronic models. Solid models refer toelectronic models that define a volume of the motor vehicle componentthey represent. Solid models can be formed, for example, usingconstructive solid geometry, among other techniques. Shell models referto electronic models of a surface (e.g., a boundary) of a motor vehiclecomponent they represent.

Electronic models can be created manually and/or automatically (e.g.through use of procedural modeling and/or based on a scan of a motorvehicle component). For example, an electronic model can be createdautomatically based upon a two dimensional image (e.g., a photo) usingtriangulation, approximation, and/or other suitable mathematictechniques to create an electronic model therefrom.

The motor vehicle 102 can include a display 115 and/or the generatingmachine can include a display (not shown). The display can be includedin the generating machine, or connected thereto, to display information(e.g., to a user of generating machine). Similarly, the display can beincluded in the motor vehicle 102, or connected thereto, to displayinformation (e.g., to a user of the motor vehicle). A display caninclude a screen, for example, a graphical user interface (GUI) that canprovide (e.g., display and/or present) information to a user ofgenerating machine. For example, the display can be used to display aGUI to digitally represent information and/or receive an input providedvia the display (e.g., via a user interface). The display may be forexample, a liquid crystal display (LCD), however, any appropriatedisplay device and/or screen may be used. Further, generating machinecan include any number of displays.

A display (e.g., display 115) can, in some embodiments, provide anindication of an expected life time of a motor vehicle component. Insome embodiments, the display can provide a simultaneous display of aplurality of electronic representations indicative of respectiveexpected life times for each of the plurality of motor vehiclecomponents. Such as display can enable readily identifying component ofthe plurality of motor vehicle components that are within a thresholdamount of time of satisfying the expected life and/or motor vehiclecomponents that have exceeded their expected life. Readily identifyingsuch motor vehicle components can promote generating motor vehiclecomponents as described herein.

An indication refers to a visual, auditory, or other sensory output thatcan provide an indication of various pieces of information. Theinformation can, in some embodiments include, information indicative ofwhen an indication of damage to a motor vehicle component is received,an indication of initiation of generation of a motor vehicle component,indicative of an expected life of a motor vehicle component of theplurality of motor vehicle components, and/or an indication ofcompletion of generation of a motor vehicle component, among otherindications.

In some embodiments, the indication of the detected damage includes atotal loss status of the motor vehicle. A total loss refers to adetermination (e.g., a determination based upon the inventory/statusinformation stored in the data store) that a cost associated withrepair/replacement (e.g., of each damaged component of the plurality ofcomponents) meets or exceeds a threshold value (e.g. a value of aninsurance policy covering the motor vehicle having the indication ofdamage). For example, a ratio of an amount of damage (e.g., a sum valueassociated with repair of the damage to and/or replacement of each thedamaged motor vehicle components included in the motor vehicle) to atotal value of the motor vehicle 102 can be determined. If such a ratiomeets and/or exceeds a predetermined ratio than the motor vehicle can bedetermined to be a total loss. Readily determining a total loss canenable comparatively quick payment to policy holders (e.g., those whoown a policy covering a motor vehicle determined to be a total loss)and/or promote quick resolution of insurance claims (e.g., delivering amotor vehicle determined not to be a total loss to a repair facility toenable repair thereof relatively quickly).

Additionally, the motor vehicle 102 and/or the generating machine canreceive information from the user of generating machine through aninteraction with the user via a display. For instance, the generatingmachine can receive an input from the user via display (e.g., a touchscreen display or via another user input device such as a keyboard inresponse to interaction with items show on the display). For example, auser can enter the input into the generating machine using a mouseand/or keyboard associated with the generating machine (e.g., adisplay). Such an input can, for example, include a request to generatea motor vehicle component.

The motor vehicle 102 and/or the generating machine can include anetwork interface 119. The network interface 119 can, for example,include a receiver and/or a transceiver (e.g., wired and/or wireless),among other components suitable for communication with a network (e.g.,a mobile communications network). The network interface 119 can transmitan indication of detected damage (e.g., an amount of damage), forinstance, to a mobile device and/or a data store, among other locationsto promote detecting damage.

The network interface 119 can connect the motor vehicle 102 and/or thegenerating machine to a network 120. Network 120 can be a wired orwireless network, such as, for instance, a wide area network (WAN) suchas the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a personal area network(PAN), a campus area network (CAN), or metropolitan area network (MAN),among other types of networks. As used herein, a “network” (e.g.,network 120) can provide a communication system that directly orindirectly links computers and/or peripheral devices and allows users toaccess resources on other computing resources (e.g., generating machinesand/or data stores, etc.) and/or exchange messages with other users.

The network 120 can allow users to share resources on their own systemswith other network users and to access information on centrally locatedsystems or on systems that are located at remote locations. For example,the network 120 can permit communication with a mobile device, such asmobile device 135. Similarly, the network 120 can permit a generatingmachine to generate motor vehicle components at a location that isseparate and distinct from an intended destination of the generatedmotor vehicle component and/or from a data store storing informationassociated with a motor vehicle component to be generated.

The network 120 may provide connections to the Internet and/or to thenetworks of other entities (e.g., organizations, institutions, etc.).Users may interact with network-enabled generating machine applicationsto make a network request, such as to get a file (e.g., a file including3D electronic model of a motor vehicle component) or a request togenerate a particular motor vehicle component. Such a network-enablegenerating machine applications can also communicate with networkmanagement software, which can interact with network hardware totransmit information between devices on the network.

A motor vehicle 102, such as those described herein, can be coupleddirectly (e.g., via a cord) and/or indirectly (e.g., wirelessly) to thegenerating machine, the data store 130, and/or a mobile device 135. Amobile device, as used herein, can include a mobile telephone, a tablet,a mobile personal computer, and/or a personal digital assistant (PDA),among other mobile devices. For example, mobile device 135 can, in someembodiments, be coupled via a wire and/or wirelessly (e.g., via link126) to a transceiver included in the generating machine to receiveinformation (e.g., a 3D electronic model) via the transceiver from adata store, such as data store 130. That is, although FIG. 1 illustratesa single data store external from the motor vehicle 102 the presentdisclosure is not so limited. The data store 130 can include a number ofdata stores at a number of locations, for example, included within thegenerating machine, a shop, a motor vehicle 102, and/or at a locationassociated with an insurance provider, among other locations suitablefor generating motor vehicle components, as described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a method to detectdamage according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.In various embodiments, the method can include detecting, via a sensorof a plurality of sensors associated with a motor vehicle, an amount ofdamage to a motor vehicle component of the motor vehicle, as shown atblock 240. Detecting can include executing instructions stored in memory(e.g., memory 106) to detect an amount of damage to a motor vehiclecomponent of the motor vehicle. Similarly, blocks 242 and 244 caninclude executing instructions stored in memory to perform the examplesof the method described therein. Such a plurality of sensors, motorvehicle component, and/or motor vehicle can be analogous or similar tothe plurality of sensors, motor vehicle component, and/or motor vehicleas described with respect to FIG. 1. Similarly, the data store, amongothers, can be analogous or similar to the data store 130 described withrespect to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments the method for detecting damage can includedisplaying the indication of the amount of damage to the motor vehiclecomponent. For instance, the displaying can occur via, a display, suchas the display described with respect to FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, displaying can include displaying a total lossstatus. The total loss status refers to a determination (e.g., a currentdetermination) of whether the motor vehicle 102 is a total loss. Aparticular color, symbol, letter, collection of letters, among otherpossible displays can be provided via a display to indicate a total lossstatus. For example, a “no” display could indicate the total loss statusis not present. Similarly, a “yes” display could indicate the total lossstatus is present. Such a display, can readily enable an individual todetermine a proper course of action regarding the motor vehicle. Forinstance, whether the motor vehicle 102 should be repaired/replaced whenthe total loss status is not present or treated otherwise when the totalloss status is present (e.g., subdivided into constituent parts whichmay be resold).

In some embodiments, an electronic model can be created, as describedherein, from information associated with a motor vehicle component, asdescribed herein. For instance, as shown at block 242, in variousembodiments, the method can include providing an indication of an amountof damage to the motor vehicle component to a data store, the indicationincluding an identifier associated with the damaged motor vehiclecomponent. In some embodiments, creating the electronic model caninclude creating the electronic model based upon specifications, asdescribed herein, associated with the motor vehicle component.

In various embodiments, the method can include processing (e.g.,automatically processing) an insurance claim, as described herein, basedon the amount of damage to the motor vehicle component, as shown atblock 244. In some embodiments, the method can include receiving anindication of damage to a motor vehicle component included in a motorvehicle. Such an indication, can in some embodiments, cause thegeneration of a motor vehicle component (e.g., generation of a 3D copyof the motor vehicle component indicated as damaged). In someembodiments, the method can include displaying an expected life, asdescribed herein, of the generated motor vehicle component.

In some embodiments, the method can include altering a motor vehiclewith the generated motor vehicle component. Such alterations can beperformed manually, for example, manually based upon a procedureassociated with the generated motor vehicle component and/orautomatically (e.g., by a robotically controlled machine), among othersways to alter the motor vehicle.

Altering can, in some embodiments, include altering the motor vehiclewithout applying a coating to the generated motor vehicle component. Insuch an embodiment, altering can include replacement of a motor vehiclecomponent indicated as damaged with the generated motor vehiclecomponent. In some embodiments, includes replacement of the motorvehicle component indicated as damaged can occur without applying acoating (e.g., primer and/or paint, etc.) to the generated motor vehiclecomponent. That is, the motor vehicle component can be generated and/orthe motor vehicle can be altered with the generated motor vehiclecomponent without coating the generated motor vehicle component (e.g.,without coating at any point prior, during, and/or after altering themotor vehicle with the generated motor vehicle component).Advantageously, defects (e.g., discrepancies between various motorvehicle components intended to have similar paint color) that may beassociated with painted motor vehicle components can be avoided bygenerating motor vehicle components, as described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram illustrating an example ofinstructions to detect damage according to one or more embodiments ofthe present disclosure. As illustrated in block 350, the instructionscan, in various embodiments, include instructions executable by aprocessor to detect, via a sensor of a plurality of sensors associatedwith a motor vehicle, an amount of damage to a motor vehicle componentof the motor vehicle. In some embodiments, the instructions to detectcan include instructions to detect an amount of damage to the mechanicalsystem, such as those described herein.

In some embodiments, the instructions can include instructionsexecutable by the processor to create a plurality of electronic modelsbased on respective information associated with a plurality of motorvehicle components. In some embodiments, the instructions can includeinstructions executable by the processor to store the plurality ofelectronic models in a data store.

The instructions (e.g., machine readable instructions 110, as describedin FIG. 1) can include instructions to provide an indication of theamount of damage to the motor vehicle component to a data store, theindication including an identifier associated with the damaged motorvehicle component, as illustrated at block 352. In some examples, anindication can provide an indication of damage to a mechanical system ofa motor vehicle, for example, an indication of a detected amount ofdamage to the mechanical system.

As illustrated at block 354, the instructions can include instructionsexecutable by the processor to store the indication of damage to a motorvehicle component including storage of the identifier associated withthe damaged motor vehicle component. The identifier associated with thedamaged motor vehicle component, such as those described herein, can beknown (e.g., previously stored in the database and/or associated withthe motor vehicle component) or unknown (e.g., not previously stored inthe database). For an unknown component, and identifier can begenerated, for instance, based on instructions such as those detailedherein and/or can be entered via a GUI by a user. Storing can, in someembodiments, include instructions to store the indication in a datastore located in a mobile device. For example, a data store located inthe mobile device can include an inventory of motor vehicle componentsin a motor vehicle including the damaged motor vehicle component and/orrespective statuses associated with each of the motor vehiclecomponents.

In some embodiments, the instructions to store can include instructionsto transmit a Short Message Service (SMS) message to a mobile device,such as those described herein. Such a transmission can assist a user ofa motor vehicle in discovering that damage has been detected. Forexample, should a motor vehicle component of a motor vehicle incurdamage (e.g., be subjected to a collision) while the user of the motorvehicle is at another location such a transmission can assist the userin discovering the damage has been detected, as described herein,without the user having to be present at the same location as the motorvehicle.

In some embodiments, the instructions can include instructions toprocess an insurance claim based on the indication of damage. Forinstance, an amount of damage, detected as described herein, cancorrespond to an estimate cost to fix the amount of damage included inan insurance claim. Processing refers to calculation of such a cost,storage of such a cost in a database, comparing such a cost to policyinformation (e.g., a deductible and/or policy limits), and/or payment ofsuch a cost (e.g., to a policyholder), among others processing acts togenerally associated with an insurance claim. For example, in someembodiments, processing an insurance claim can include requestinggeneration of a replacement motor vehicle component (e.g., to replace adamaged motor vehicle component).

In some embodiment, the instructions can include instructions to requestgeneration of a motor vehicle component (e.g., a 3D copy of a motorvehicle component). The request can be provided, for example, by a userof the generating machine interacting directly (e.g., inputtinginformation for the request into a GUI of the generating machine) and/orindirectly (e.g., remotely communicating with the generating machinefrom another device) with the generating machine. However, the presentdisclosure is not so limited. That is, the request can be providedautomatically (e.g., without a user requesting generation). For example,generation of motor vehicle component can be automatically requestedupon receipt of an indication of damage to a motor vehicle componentand/or automatically requested based on an expected life of a motorvehicle component (e.g., upon the motor vehicle componentreaching/exceeding its expected life).

The instructions can include instructions executable by the processor toreceive an electronic model (e.g., a 3D electronic model), from the datastore, associated with the requested motor vehicle component. Forexample, an electronic model can be received from the data store inresponse to receipt of a request, as described herein. The electronicmodel can, in some embodiments, be provided directly to a generatingmachine via a user input(s), for instance, user inputs provided to adisplay associated with the generating machine (e.g., a display includedin generating machine and/or a display located external to thegenerating machine).

The instructions can include instructions executable by the processor togenerate the motor vehicle component using the received electronic model(e.g., using information included in a received 3D electronic model).Generation can, for example, occur in response (e.g., automatically inresponse) to receipt of an electronic model. In some embodiments, theinstructions to generate include instructions to generate a motorvehicle component having electronics included therein. For example,electronics can be included in a motor vehicle component duringgeneration of the motor vehicle component.

The instructions to generate can, in some embodiments, includeinstructions to generate the motor vehicle component based on anexpected life of a motor vehicle component. An expected life can bespecified by a manufacturer of the motor vehicle component (e.g., anOEM) and/or by an insurance provider providing insurance that covers amotor vehicle including the motor vehicle component, among otherentities that may specify an expected life. For example, an expectedlife can be specified for each of the interior components, exteriorcomponents, non-electrical components, and/or electrical components. Agenerated motor vehicle component, similar to an original motor vehiclecomponent, as described herein, can include an expected life. Anexpected life for a motor vehicle component can be stored in a datastore. Thus, a plurality of respective expected lives can be displayedfor a plurality of motor vehicle components (e.g., a plurality of motorvehicle components including a generated motor vehicle component).Advantageously, this can enable readily identifying which, if any, ofthe plurality of motor vehicle components are approaching (e.g., withina threshold amount of time) and/or have exceeded an expected life.

For example, the motor vehicle component can be generated upon aparticular motor vehicle component exceeding an expected life associatedwith the particular motor vehicle component i.e., its expected life.Similarly, in some embodiments, the instructions to generate can includeinstructions to generate a motor vehicle component based on anindication that the motor vehicle component is within a threshold amountof time (e.g., one week) of satisfying an expected life (e.g., 7 yearsfrom a time of initial sale or installation of the motor vehiclecomponent, etc.).

In some embodiments, the instructions to generate can includeinstructions executable by the processor to prioritize generation of amotor vehicle component of a plurality of motor vehicle componentsrequested for generation. Such prioritization can promote orderedalterations of the motor vehicle with the generated motor vehiclecomponents, for example, as specified by a procedure (e.g., an orderassociated with replacement of various motor vehicle components includedin a particular motor vehicle), as described herein, and/or otherwisepromote generating motor vehicle components.

In some embodiments, the instructions can include instructionsexecutable by the processor to provide a procedure (e.g., a procedureincluded in a manual) to alter the motor vehicle using a generated motorvehicle component. A procedure refers a particular process to alter themotor vehicle using a generated motor vehicle component that is specificto a particular motor vehicle component and/or particular motor vehicle.For example, the procedure can be specific to a number of particularfunction(s) and/or properties (e.g., material type), etc., of agenerated motor vehicle component (e.g., a 3D generated copy of adamaged motor vehicle component).

Similarly, a procedure can be specific to a make, year of manufacture ofa motor vehicle, etc. For instance, the procedure can include a numberof actions to be performed, for example, by an individual at a shop toreplace a particular motor vehicle component (e.g., a bumper) in aparticular motor vehicle (e.g., an automobile of a particular make andyear of manufacture, etc.). In some embodiments, the instructions caninclude instructions executable by the processor to provide theprocedure to a display. For example, the procedure can be provided to aGUI associated with the generating machine (e.g., a GUI included in thegenerating machine), a display on a handheld device (e.g., a mobilephone), a display located in a shop, and/or a display included in themotor vehicle, among other displays, to display the procedure. Theprocedure can be stored in a data store, such as data store 130described with respect to FIG. 1.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number ofadditional embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, as willbe appreciated, the proportion and the relative scale of the elementsprovided in the figures are intended to illustrate the embodiments ofthe present disclosure and should not be taken in a limiting sense. Asused herein, “a” or “a number of” used in referring to a particularthing is intended refer to one or more such things.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description.

The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes anyother applications in which the above structures and methods are used.Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, if provided, alongwith the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim. Rather, inventive subject matter lies in less than all featuresof a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims, if provided, arehereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for detecting damage, comprising: asensor in visual communication with a motor vehicle, wherein the sensoris configured to detect damage to a component of the motor vehicle,wherein the damage to the component is detected by determining a changein distance between two or more focal points of the motor vehicle; and anetwork interface configured to transmit an indication of the damage. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the indication includes an identifierassociated with the damaged motor vehicle component.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, further comprising a data store configured to stores at leastone of the indication of the damage, an identifier associated with thedamaged motor vehicle component, or an electronic model of the motorvehicle component.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data store isconfigured to store respective information identifying a manufacturer ofeach of a plurality of motor vehicle components included in the motorvehicle.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the indication is provided toa generating machine configured to generate a replacement for the motorvehicle component based on the damage.
 6. The system of claim 5, whereinthe generating machine is an additive manufacturing machine.
 7. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the indication identifies an electronic modelassociated with the damaged motor vehicle component, and wherein thegenerating machine generates the replacement based on the electronicmodel.
 8. A method for detecting damage, comprising: providing a visualsensor in visual communication with a motor vehicle; detecting damage toa motor vehicle component of the motor vehicle based on a change in adistance between two or more focal points on the motor vehicle; andproviding an indication of the damage to the motor vehicle component. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the indication includes an identifierassociated with the damaged motor vehicle component.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the indication is provided to a generating machineconfigured to generate a replacement for the motor vehicle componentbased on the damage.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generatingmachine is an additive manufacturing machine.
 12. The method of claim10, wherein the indication identifies an electronic model associatedwith the damaged motor vehicle component, and wherein the generatingmachine generates the replacement based on the electronic model.
 13. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising: storing the indication to a datastore.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data store is configuredto store respective information identifying a manufacturer of each of aplurality of motor vehicle components included in the motor vehicle. 15.A system, comprising: an electromagnetic sensor to detect damage to amotor vehicle component of a motor vehicle, wherein the electromagneticsensor is configured to detect a baseline electromagnetic frequency ofthe motor vehicle component, wherein the baseline electromagneticfrequency is stored in a memory, and wherein the damage is detected bydetecting a change in electromagnetic frequency from the baselineelectromagnetic frequency.
 16. The system of claim 15, furthercomprising a network interface to transmit an indication of the detecteddamage.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the indication is providedto a generating machine configured to generate a replacement for themotor vehicle component based on the damage.
 18. The system of claim 17,wherein the generating machine is an additive manufacturing machine. 19.The system of claim 17, wherein the indication identifies an electronicmodel associated with the damaged motor vehicle component, and whereinthe generating machine generates the replacement based on the electronicmodel.
 20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a data storeconfigured to store the indication.